Few modern Indian bands have managed to bridge generations the way SANAM has. Their renditions of classics like Lag Ja Gale and Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga have found audiences across age groups, introducing timeless melodies to younger listeners while reviving nostalgia for older ones. But with that success also comes an unusual challenge — audiences occasionally forgetting where the songs originally came from.
Venky and Keshav on Reimagining Old Songs
When asked whether they worry about becoming more associated with the classics they cover than the original artists themselves, bassist Venky admitted that scepticism around covers is inevitable. “There will always be scepticism around covers of classics,” he said. “But we’ve been fortunate to build an audience that appreciates how we interpret and express these songs. When we rearrange them, we study every detail and emotion within the original, and then express it in a way that feels authentic to us.”
For the band, the process has never been about replacing the originals, but about reconnecting listeners to them through a contemporary lens. Drummer Keshav Dhanraj revealed that some of the most surprising reactions came from younger fans who genuinely believed certain iconic tracks belonged to SANAM. “Some thought Lag Ja Gale was our song,” he laughed. But instead of viewing that as erasure, the band found meaning in what happened next. “Then their parents and grandparents would recognise it and connect with it too. We started getting messages saying, ‘You’re bringing our families together, all of us are able to enjoy the same kind of music,’” Keshav shared.
According to Keshav, that intergenerational connection became one of the defining aspects of SANAM’s live shows. “Normally you’d have younger people listening to one thing and older generations saying, ‘Back in our day…’ But now it’s the same song in different versions connecting everybody.”
Over the years, the band has consistently defended renditions as a legitimate form of musical expression rather than mere replication. Their approach involves preserving the emotional core of a song while allowing their own musical sensibilities to shape its sound. That balance between nostalgia and reinvention is perhaps what has allowed SANAM to occupy a unique place in India’s music landscape — not replacing memories, but extending them across generations.
About the Author
Toshiro Agarwal is a journalist with Pune Times and writes entertainment and lifestyle features, news and interviews.
